Darth Illium
Aurelia’s parents fled their homeworld shortly after her birth, fearing visions of a great unseen darkness consuming their world. They spent a few standard weeks roaming in search of a peaceful planet to lay new roots, but their poorly defended ship was hijacked, looted and her parents were killed in the attack. The infant was taken as a slave and sold on the nearest planet, Dathomir. A barren mother from the Singing Mountain Clan purchased the Miraluka infant eagerly, intrigued by her nature and power, and raised her within the clan until the age of 8. The Sisters eagerly taught her their magic and custom, and she learned swiftly. Her lack of physical eyes never impeded her, Aurelia didn’t know the term eyes until the age of ten. However at the age of 8, while exploring the ruins of the Infinity Gateway upon Dathomir she found an ancient mask. Upon touching the mask she briefly saw the world as many sentiants do. Saw as it truly is, full of color, shadow and light. The encounter improved her vision, allowing her to better see the Force and the auras of others with more color. At this moment a parasitic entity became attached to her although it’s presence was unknown until she joined the Sith. She later learned it was in fact a lingering fragment of the spirit of Darth Nihilus that had attached to her. The mask itself wasn’t the genuine article, merely a copy with a sliver of his essence meant to infect another. The clans Mother however noticed the infection and darkness within her and cast from the clan despite her young age. She found solace and care with the Nightsisters that embraced darkness. Within the Nightsisters clans she was encouraged to embrace her dark powers. At 16, before completing the full extent of the Nightsister initiation rituals she decided her destiny lay beyond the planet and stowed away on a transport ship. She found the galaxy to be horrifically disappointing, filthy, infested with mindless vermin. All was grey and translucent, nothing glowed as it did on Dathomir. She believes herself blessed that she possesses no eyes in which to look upon the vermin of the galaxy. When she became desperate for credit in the streets of Nar Shadda she wandered to the red sector where she was encouraged to audition as a cantina dancer. The rarity of her species and natural Nightsister grace made her a mesmerizing dancer, soon she drew customers. She earned contracts, and credits and when she took customers to her bed she earned more than enough credit. She spent a few years allowing herself to be blinded in the haze of drink, spice, lust and credit with the occasional kill to satisfy her true lust. However when a truly luminous being came to watch her dance she heard the first echos of her true calling. The male glowed with a burning crimson alignment, so magnificent it filled her Force vision. She invited him to her private chambers where he proudly proclaimed he was Sith. When their encounter was over the man drew an energy blade that glowed like him, and swung it in a blow meant kill her. While she had never sensed such a blade she was used to clients attacking out of sheer cruelty , but she had to call upon the magics within her to dodge the glowing blade. The Force as she’d heard it called outside Dathomir. She had killed with the Force before but this Sith didn’t fall easily, she cast aside all hesitation and clawed into the Siths mind and drive him mad with hallucinations she’d always been gifted with. He took his own life with his glowing blade. Aurelia kept the lightsaber and raided the body for any clues as to were she might find more of these Sith. She booked passage off Nar Shadda and searched for more Sith. Once finding a splinter of a larger faction she caught the attention of a Master who offered her apprenticeship ...but the faction her Master followed was weak, disorganized and unwilling to actually train her. In that time of weakness and entropy the parasitic nature of Darth Nihilus’ spirit began to consume her, causing her to crave Force energy increasingly. She refused to submit wholly to the craving and devised a plan to break the ancient spirits control over her. Aurelia formulated a plan of attack and asked for the ruling Lords permission to proceed with her plans, only to be condemned again for her dark connections, and subjected to brutal torture, the condition being either she cleanse herself of the parasite, or execution. She then understood the weakness in those she followed...a true Sith would celebrate their dark ties to an ancient Lord. Taught her how to manipulate them, bend them to her will. This band saw her only as a threat to their lauded power. Aurelia however submitted to torture and imprisionment, the torture served to exsanguate her from the infection but the process left her eye sockets charred black. Then in the realm of her mind she confronted the spirit of Nihilus, trapped him into weakening himself by creating an illusion of Malachor V during is destruction and using her talents of the mind she forced the spirit to relive the events of his human life and eventually symbolically defeated the spirit. She’d reclaimed control over her mind and actions but the hunger remains. After this mind battle she took on the name Darth Illium. She left the weak faction of the Sith in disgust, but intrigued by how she’d fought such a battle within her mind, using only her gift of illusion. There had to be a way to manifest such illusionary battle feats into the physical realm. She returned to Dathomir for a time to finish her Nightsister trials. It was a part of her she’d left incomplete, but with ease she passed the trials and taking on the Nightsister rank of a shadow killer. Dathomir held much promise for her but the call of the Sith was to great. With the blessing of the clan mother she seeks to complete the second and... possibly far more glorious part of her destiny, to seize her potential as a Sith. Apprenticed to the Empress. Took an apprentice named Volk Kroker, who she would later take as her lover.